1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a method for applying a surface treating agent, preferably a wax, polish or cleaner, to a surface, preferably a smooth surface such as an automobile body surface. While the process of the present invention is particularly useful for applying a treating agent to an automobile body surface, it can be used to apply a treating agent to other surfaces such as glass or wood.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Polishing pad arrangements for use on automobile body surfaces are known in which one or more polishing pads of foam material each have a hollow rubber attachment cup provided on an upper surface. The pads are detachably mountable on a power drive disk that is driven by an electric motor. Such units exist in the form of commercial power orbital polishers and are described below in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2.
Motor driven polishing pad arrangements have a disadvantage in that movement of the pad relative to the automobile body surface is largely defined by the rotary movement of the motor shaft or shafts. This makes it impossible for the user to impart a purely back-and-forth, non-rotational motion to the pad while wiping it over the surface to be polished. In fact, for some applications, it may be harmful to engage a painted body surface with a high speed rotating polishing pad. Surface paint or other finish not intended to be removed may inadvertently be quickly lost due to excessive frictional forces and heating.
Further, the motor and drive gear units of the commercial power polishers are themselves much heavier than the polishing pads attached to them. It therefore becomes difficult for the user to know just how much downward force he or she is exerting as the pads are driven over a body surface under power. Again, this may present a problem for delicate surface finishes.
Safety hazards are also present when using an electrically powered polishing pad unit outdoors if the unit is not properly grounded and/or the user is standing on a wet driveway as is often the case after washing a car prior to polishing it. Also, the powered units can only be used near a source of power such as the AC mains or compressed air.
As far as is known, no cleaning, polishing or waxing technique exists in which a handle contoured to fit comfortably in a user's hand is frictionally engaged with a polishing pad, and the pad is then wiped via the handle over the surface after applying a suitable polishing, cleaning or waxing agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,807,137 (May 26, 1931) shows a steel wool pad and holder arrangement for abrasive purposes. In one embodiment, a wooden holder is formed as a handle. A felt pad is attached to the bottom of the holder, and cups of wound steel wool ribbon are mounted on the pad. The patent is concerned with the tendency of steel wool to disintegrate into fine pieces when used for abrasive purposes, and purports to solve the problem by winding the wool in continuous ribbons or strands.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,659 (Apr. 2, 1991) discloses a kitchen cleaning and scrubbing tool. The tool includes a sponge having a layer of loop material on a top surface. A handle has a layer of hook material on a bottom surface for gripping the loop material on the sponge. The handle is in the form of a hollow knob for gripping by the thumb and the finger. The patent also discloses an extension handle with a nosed end adapted to fit into a central opening in the knob. U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,750 (Nov. 20, 1990) also shows a household (e.g., bathtub and shower) cleaning device in the form of a sponge block having a rectangular polyhedron shape. The sponge block has a cavity in its top surface, and a rigid support block is inlaid in the cavity and permanently adhered to the sponge block by an elastic adhesive. The support block also has a threaded opening for engaging threads at the end of a long handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,829,393 issued Apr. 8, 1958, discloses a cosmetics and lotion applicator for use in applying lotions or creams to the body including one's back. The applicator comprises a pad of porous material which is slipped over a round concave frame from which a long handle extends parallel to the plane of the frame. A cavity defined between the frame and the pad is filled with liquid cosmetic, which is dispensed through the porous pad while the applicator is being used.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,817,106 (Dec. 24, 1957) shows a dish washing and cleaning tool comprised of a disc-shaped sponge pad, and a shell-like rigid handle permanently adhered to the sponge pad by a water-insoluble adhesive. When the handle is gripped and squeezed, a tube containing a liquid detergent inside the handle discharges the detergent onto the sponge pad.
The foregoing patents relate to abrading or cleaning devices having handles and working pads of various forms and materials, for carrying out specific tasks. None of the patents, however, discloses or suggests a handle and pad combination particularly suited for the hand polishing of a painted vehicle body or other surfaces. In particular, none of the known art suggests a technique that enables hand polishing or waxing of a vehicle in such a manner that little, if any, of the muscle cramps or fatigue, commonly associated with present hand polishing or waxing methods, will be experienced.
An object of the invention is to provide a hand rubbing technique for applying a treating agent to a surface such as an automobile body surface, whereby the treatment agent can be applied effectively and without undue fatigue.
Another object of the invention is to provide a hand rubbing technique whereby a friction fit is established between either a base part of a handle and a hollow recess in an application pad, or a handle attachment part of an application pad and a hollow recess in the base part of the handle.
Another object of the invention is to provide an even distribution of working pressure through a larger flat surface as compared with the uneven distribution of pressure exerted by fingertips or palms in the common application methods.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a hand rubbing technique whereby the base of a pistol-grip handle is adapted to engage an application pad by friction, thereby allowing a user's hand to apply a working force comfortably from the side end of the fist directly and evenly over the surface of the application pad.
Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle hand rubbing technique that provides results comparable with those obtained with machine powered polishers, but at much less cost.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle hand rubbing technique that consumes appreciably less time to complete than other common hand rubbing methods.
A further object of the invention is to provide a hand rubbing technique for applying a treating agent to a surface such as the exterior of an automobile whereby a friction fit is established between a handle and an application pad, and the pad will separate from the handle during use thereby alerting the user that additional treating agent (or a liquid) must be applied to the surface or pad.
Another object of the invention is to provide a rubbing technique whereby a comfortable handle and an application pad are fitted to one another by friction thereby protecting the pad from being torn during use, since the pad is not permanently attached to the handle by any adhesive or other means.
Yet another object of the invention is to maintain a proper balance between downward and lateral forces applied to an application pad handle during use, whereby the pad will separate from the handle if such a balance is not maintained.
The method of the present invention preferably utilizes an applicator comprising an application pad and a handled attachment part with a first flat surface substantially parallel to a bottom work surface of the pad. The handle is provided with a hand grip part and a pad engaging part fixed with respect to the hand grip part and having a second flat surface. The handle and the application pad are fitted to one another by friction so as to facilitate easy separation later. One of the pad engaging and handle attachment parts is urged into a recess in the other one of said parts to engage the other part by friction, and the first flat surface of the handle attachment part is aligned flush with the second flat surface of the pad engaging part.
The method also includes grasping the hand grip part of the handle and exerting a downward force which is transmitted through the flush first and second flat surfaces evenly across the bottom work surface of the pad. The pad while fitted to the handle is then wiped over the vehicle body surface while a downward force is exerted.
In accordance with the method of the present invention, a treating agent is applied to a surface utilizing an applicator comprising a pad and a handle that are releasably coupled together and are separable from one another when the friction force between a working surface of the pad and the surface being treated becomes great enough to overcome forces holding the pad to the handle. The method comprises the steps of:
(a) selecting a surface to be treated; PA1 (b) applying a treating agent to at least one of the working surface of the pad or a portion of the surface to be treated; PA1 (c) spreading the treating agent over the surface while exerting a downward force on the handle thereby producing a friction force between the pad and the surface; and PA1 (d) stopping the application of the agent to the surface to be treated when the pad is separated from the handle upon the friction forces between the working surface of the pad and the surface being treated overcoming the friction fit forces holding the pad to the handle.
While the preferred use of the method of the present invention is on automobile surfaces, the disclosed process can be used on other surfaces such as glass and wood furniture surfaces.
For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.